Days in the Life of a Rose
by Fanatick
Summary: A series of short stories about the life of Summer Rose.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**_ : I do not own RWBY or any of its characters, settings, etc. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. This work is created purely for my personal amusement, and has nothing to do with the show's canon. I do not profit from this story in any way. I am grateful to Monty Oum for creating the series, and all of the Rooster Teeth staff who work on the show for continuing it.

I would also like to thank my beta reader, 1212B.

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The wind picked up outside, as the cold night chill settled over the town of Kuchinashi. It was only autumn, but the leaves had already begun to fall. Soon, the first snow would arrive, but the southern part of Mistral had so far evaded the cold grasp of winter. And anyway, "winters" tended to be mild here, as they were fairly close to the equator. The last time snow had fallen here, a town-wide emergency had been declared - one of the few times when people had listened to the authorities.

The town itself had gone silent, it being close to midnight. Almost everyone had had their dinner and gone to sleep - or so it seemed. Kuchinashi was known for being a den of thieves, and everyone slept lightly, or in shifts. Shattered windows and defaced walls testified to this, and one could occasionally hear a soft pattering of footsteps or the sounds of an alley fight in the distance. This wasn't a place where most Huntsmen or Huntresses wanted to take missions. Nonetheless, team STRQ, the best of Beacon, never backed down from a challenge, and so found themselves staying in the lawless town for the night after a successful mission.

A solitary figure quietly left the battered but warm inn, headed for a spot which had caught her eye earlier in the day. As she left, the smell of roast ham, a brief respite from her team's usual diet of "whatever they could scavenge or hunt", slowly grew fainter. Auburn hair swung gently from side to side under her white hood, and a careful observer might have heard the metallic clink of ammunition from a small white pouch on her belt. Taking the utmost care to avoid making noise, she avoided walking on as many of the fallen leaves as she could. Holding a satchel close to her chest, she stealthily walked to the clearing which she had seen earlier. She had already dealt with a bunch of hooligans earlier in the day, and had no desire to do again. The town's sole remaining bell valiantly tolled in the distance, but years of neglect left the sound a mournful shadow of its former glory, and the efforts of the intrepid bell-ringer were in vain as the midnight chimes were summarily ignored. As a crowd of drunken revelers suddenly exited a nearby alley, she quickly ducked down a side street, and waited until they had passed. When the revellers had passed, she left her hiding spot and continued down the path to the town's only park.

The park was thankfully deserted. There wasn't much left to steal after close to a century of looting, and the town authorities - what remained of them, anyway - had long since forgotten the place. This made it ideal for anyone who wanted to get away from the thievery - but it was also a good spot for viewing the lush forests which the town had been known for, before its reputation as a thieves' den overshadowed that. Wind whispered through the trees, and an earthy smell permeated the air, for the wildlife had quickly laid claim to this area once humans had abandoned it. In fact, several legends about the denizens of the forest had arisen, as a long time had passed since humans were last here regularly, allowing all manner of rare creatures and plants to flourish.

Once she had arrived at the park and cleared off a stump, she sat down, opened her satchel, and took out her mini-canvas, brush, and paints. Her weapon rested at the side of the stump, for Summer had long-since learned that having one's weapon in arm's reach could mean the difference between life and death. Several arthropods and a few worms ran out of the back of the stump as she cleaned it, and on closer inspection, part of the stump was rotting, soft to the touch. But Summer was used to sitting anywhere by now. Having set up her palette on a nearby rock, she commenced the night's work. The budding artist made slow strokes with her brush as she delicately sketched the treeline. The maples had already begun to shed their leaves, but the trees still blazed with brilliant orange and gold.

The birdsong and rustles in the surrounding forest alerted her of the presence of many animals, and the crickets made themselves audible, as usual. But as they remained unseen, she focussed more on her painting. Occasionally, a flash of red caught her eye as foxes or squirrels came close to the forest's edge, and she even saw what looked to be the large horns of a buck. But although the animals here had not been in contact with humans for a long time, none of them tried to approach her. She supposed that they might still "remember" what humans were like. After all, many of Remnant's animals had recently been found to be smarter than they had seemed, as had been discussed in one of the last lectures which she had attended before leaving for the mission. As she tried to capture the brilliant colours of the rare plants in the still night, the artist grew engrossed in her work, failing to notice the figure who had crept up behind her.

"Summer?"

"Yikes!" Summer jumped to her feet, her white cloak wildly flapping. Several brown leaves flew away in a flurry of wind. However, she relaxed upon seeing golden hair and blue eyes. "Oh, it's just you, Tai. You shouldn't sneak up on a girl - anyone - like that." A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, and she nervously brushed herself off as she quickly scanned her clothing.

A hearty laugh escaped Tai's throat. "OK, OK. I had no ill intentions, believe me. I just felt like taking a walk." He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and shook his head slowly from side to side. "You know how Qrow gets when he's drunk, and how mad Raven gets at him when he does. It's nice to escape, once in a while. I'm sorry if I disturbed you - I just noticed that you were here, and decided to say hi." Stretching out his arms, he let out a soft "Haa…" as he enjoyed the feel of the night breeze on his arms. "Well", he said, "I think that I should go."

But as Tai turned to leave, the mini-canvas and brushes caught his eye, causing a curious expression to slowly take over his face. Noticing his change in expression, Summer followed his line of sight, and sighed as she realised what he was looking at. "It's a hobby.", she explained. "I'm not very good at it yet, but I'll never get better if I don't practice, right? I just wanted to try painting something, and these trees caught my eye earlier, when we returned from our mission. Just look at the colours of the forest!" Her cloak flew in the breeze as she swung her arm around to point at the forest behind them, sending involuntary shivers down her spine as the air nipped at the tawny skirt and dark blue cardigan which she wore under her cloak. She rubbed her hands together, mentally cursing herself for not bringing gloves. "You'd never find this anywhere else in Mistral", she continued. "These trees are rare oddities - I believe that Professor Glover took a few samples back to his lab to study them precisely because they shed their leaves, unlike most trees in this warm region."

"I see", mused Tai. "When did you start doing this? I don't remember you sketching anything at any time before now." "Since we last stayed in Kuroyuri." replied Summer. "I bought a tiny mini-canvas, some brushes, and some paints, so that I could try things out. I'm still a horrible painter - I can show you my old work, if you'd like…." Although her face remained outwardly calm, her hands were fidgeting under her cloak, and she couldn't quite bring herself to face him.

"I'd love to see them!" exclaimed Tai. Summer tried to protest as her cheeks grew as red as an apple, her hands waving wildly in embarrassment. "Well… they're just some small… I don't even know what the right word is. Things… I made… for my amusement." Composing herself, she continued. "I hope that they won't seem too bad to you. I don't have all of them here, but I did keep a few in my bag, which is back at the inn."

As they walked back, Summer talked Tai's ear off about all of the things which she had recently learnt - oil vs watercolour, the basics of mixing colours, the books on painting which she had read, written by famous artists, etc.. Although Tai hadn't the faintest clue about all of this, he couldn't help but feel charmed by her enthusiasm. It certainly made the chilly autumn night warmer, and reminded him of why he was glad that she was the heart of their team. Although his heart had been gravitating towards the brasher girl of his team, he found himself thinking that Summer wasn't an unattractive young woman, herself.

Unfortunately, the next day, a snarky Raven and a hung-over Qrow found her art, and started poking fun at her - but that's another story.

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 **A/N:** I'll hopefully be uploading some future chapters. Please let me know what you think - I'm always glad to take advice. Thank you very much for reading this story.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer**_ : I do not own RWBY or any of its characters, settings, etc. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth. This work is created purely for my personal amusement and has nothing to do with the show's canon. I do not profit from this story in any way. I am grateful to Monty Oum for creating the series, and all of the Rooster Teeth staff who work on the show.

I would also like to thank my beta reader, 1212B, without whom this chapter would have been _really_ badly written.

* * *

The island of Patch was known as a relatively quiet place, but this summer, that reputation had been tested. As the height of summer drew to a close, the nightly sound of cicadas and owls had become an unwelcome irritation across the island. But on one particular corner of the island, the animals had a competitor in noise-making, as the Xiao-Long family used to be quite free with expressing their emotions. The animals of the forest had learned to stay away from that family's cabin by now though they roamed freely through most of the wilderness, since the noise levels around that house were often far higher than anything which three-quarters of the animals in the forest could produce together.

But anyone could be forgiven for being unsure about whether this was still the Xiao-Longs' house, as near-silence reigned over the wooden cabin in the forest. This had been the situation for 3 months by now. Piles of junk littered the place, cracked walls bore testimony to semblance-powered temper tantrums, and a substantial pile of… effects, which should have been sorted into boxes in the dank, murky attic long ago were still as immobile as ever beneath the attic's entrance, located in a ceiling which was in need of a thorough scouring. The sun still shone warmly, although the lowering temperatures and colder nights spoke of the approaching autumn.

The new father who was supposed to be responsible for this house had taken to spending hours "training" in the forest every so often. The loss of a teammate, even if due to abandonment rather than death, had taken a hard toll on him. Truth be told, the rest of the team of Hunters and Huntresses which he belonged to had also suffered from the events which had recently transpired. None of the members of STRQ (well, STQ now) had been themselves in the months since Raven had left.

Everyone else had tried to help Tai in their own way. Ozpin had used his connections to ensure that Tai would not be assigned any missions even if emergencies arose, as paternity leave was occasionally temporarily suspended in such situations. Summer and Qrow had tried to reduce the number of missions they took as far as possible regardless of the pay cut, using the extra time to come by Tai's house whenever possible and help out however they could. Losing money and time meant nothing if they could ease Tai's burden and give him some time to grieve.

But the months of acting as surrogate parents to Yang on days when Tai couldn't be there had taken their toll on them. Qrow and Summer had had many private discussions and arguments about the best way to "snap" him out of things. They had tried to resume team meetings as if everything was normal - but the smell of the exotic Animan alcohol that the bar which STRQ used to frequent was known for only reminded Tai of his wife even more, and empty promises were all that had come of those meetings thus far.

On this summer day, Qrow was staying at Tai's house after a night of watching Yang, while Tai had another breakdown. Summer, too, had decided to visit this morning to see her "niece", and to try to talk some sense into her teammate for the umpteenth time. As she looked over the drab house, she sadly recalled its days of glory - gleaming walls and floors, peculiar smells and bubbling sounds wafting out of the kitchen as Raven cooked another one of her "bandit" meals, the smell and texture of new wood and fresh paint from the attic which Tai had finished remodelling only days before Raven gave birth… all gone.

The house was thankfully quiet, as Yang slept. As hyperactive as she could be while awake, all babies needed to sleep. As Summer entered the house, she noticed Qrow, hunched over on the couch. The lack of any expression on his face and drooping figure were a testament to a long night spent looking after Yang, and Summer almost thought that he was sleeping until his face twitched. Sunlight landed on his pale hand as he tried to lift it to his face, then let it fall. The warm light contrasted sharply with the dark stubble which had become a recognisable feature by now. He let loose a slow sigh - or perhaps a yawn, it was hard to tell.

"How did babysitting go?" Qrow started as Summer made her presence known, the tiredness clearly showing on his face."The usual. I try to play with her and take her mind off things, but she knows what her mother and father are like. There's no way I can replace them." A beam of sunlight fell across his front, and a small glint from his pocket revealed the flask which had become a common part of his appearance these days.

Seeing it, Summer's blood turned cold. " _How much did you drink this time?_ " The cold fury in her voice made Qrow cringe in shame. "No! Not while watching her. This is… for later."

"It's a bad habit!", spoke Summer through gritted teeth. "I know that you're also trying to deal with Raven's disappearance, but this… this isn't a good way, Qrow!"

"Shaddup", moaned Qrow. "I'm not in a mood to have an argument after last night. I get where you're coming from, but... please, leave it alone for now."

Summer clenched her fists for a moment, but relaxed and let her shoulders droop as she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. About all of us. We can't mope around forever." Her expression hardened. "Sometimes, I can't help but think that Raven would have returned by now if she were going to. I don't like giving up on a friend, so I will still hope for her return… but she and I are going to have a _long_ conversation when… _if_ she comes back."

Qrow stood up, stretching his arms and legs. After a back stretch for good measure, he turned to Summer. "No, _I'm_ the one who should be sorry. I should have kept a closer eye on Raven. I should have known that she would go. She was always concerned about our tribe, always taking advantage of being the 'big sister' to boss us around…" He smiled briefly as he recalled the lines which Raven used to spout old days, before Beacon. 'Qrow, you're a horrible sneaker. Stick to direct fights - they make better use of your Semblance.'

But the memories of days gone by only twisted his stomach in knots, and spilled out of his mouth as ugly words. Sticking out his lips as if to pout and tilting his head from side to side, he spoke mockingly. " _Qrow, we must do what is best for the tribe_. _The tribe comes first. Always think of the tribe._ " He let his face return to normal. "I thought that her time with Tai had changed her. I thought that she had come to understand how… messed-up our way of life was. I thought that she had finally freed herself of her ties to the tribe after learning that she would become a mother… but in the end, tribal ties and fear won out." He raised his flask to his lips as if to drink, but stopped as he saw Summer's fists clench, the pale skin of her hands turning as white as the Moon. Sighing, he reluctantly returned his flask to his hip, and tried to make amends.

"Where's Tai? I haven't seen him since… yesterday morning.", he queried. Summer shook her head. "I don't know. Let me take a look."

She quickly walked to the window, her footsteps initially dulled by the carpet, but later resounding on the wooden floor of the kitchen. Standing by the window, she scanned the forest outside, looking for any sign of yellow hair and a beige top. Not seeing anything, she turned around decisively. "I'm going to find him. I'll find him and drag him back to the house if I have to."

Qrow snorted. "That _bozo_ is still feeling sorry for himself. He needs a good kick in the…" Seeing the nonplussed expression on Summer's face, he stopped. Attempting to brush his hair with his hands, he faltered after realising that he was only making it worse. His eyes no longer seemed red or droopy. "OK, OK. I'll help you find him."

"No, you won't", retorted Summer. "Someone needs to stay with Yang. I'm sorry, I know that you've been here all night… but please watch over her for just a bit longer." Qrow shrugged noncommittally and turned around. "Alright. A bit more time won't make a difference." He opened his mouth again in what was definitely a yawn this time. "Sorry, but I'm dead tired… I'd take a quick recon flight otherwise." "It's fine, I understand. Just stay here a bit longer.", requested Summer.

Turning around, she quickly walked outside and scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of Tai. Seeing nothing, she trudged towards the western edge of the forest, hoping that she wouldn't need to backtrack.

The bright light of the late morning lit Summer's path as wind rushed through the trees, leaving eerie echoes in its wake. She continued to scan the forest, but no sign of Tai could be found - he had become a master of erasing his tracks after the many stealth missions which STRQ had undertaken. But Summer was a seasoned tracker. Bits and pieces of the brown jacket which her partner was known for could be seen on the trees - evidently, Tai wasn't being very careful. Following these scraps, she eventually came upon him, sitting on a log in a clearing.

Hesitating, Summer came to a stop, then started walking forward slowly. Unfortunately, the small twig which she had failed to notice snapped as she stepped on it, and Tai whipped his head around as the loud _crack_ resounded through the clearing.

Summer felt a flutter start in her stomach, as she gave a little wave. "I just wanted to talk. We haven't… I haven't seen you in a while." Tai snorted. "Sorry. I wanted some time to myself, because… you know…"

She ran her hands through her hair, preparing to say words she had been holding in out of concern. "Tai. I know that her disappearance hit you hard…. but we're still here. We can help you. You don't have to… well - I can't tell you not to feel sad. But please, as your friend, I - both Qrow and I - want to help you. We can't do that if you don't let us in."

Tai's face hardened. "Let you in? Like I _let_ Raven _in_? Look how _that_ turned out."

Summer ground her teeth as she heard the same words as ever, and raised her voice as she continued. "Tai, you're letting your grief talk. You _know_ that we wouldn't abandon you like that. Haven't we stayed by you all this time? Tell me, _who_ 's been caring for Yang while _you_ were trying to 'deal with things'?" Regret clouded her mind as soon as she finished speaking.

Tai's head snapped back, and shock and grief briefly passed across his face. Fists clenched, he spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't you _dare_ talk to me about Yang. Sure, you and Qrow have been helping. But _I_ still look after her, _I_ still handle all her needs. _I_ am the one who's always at home."

" _Always_ at home?", countered Summer. "How many 'personal days off' have you taken over the last few months? How many times have Qrow and I stayed up all night to look after her while you grieved? I understand that you _do_ care for Yang, but Tai, I can't stand by and let you slip further like this! I know that you're a loving father who's going through some tough times right now, but Qrow and I can't do this forever. Not alone. And you don't have to do it alone, either! Qrow's here. And…"

She walked up to him at a brisk pace. Tai tensed, ready for harsh words or fists. But he was surprised when Summer gently put her arms around him, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. "I'm here, too.", she whispered., her heart beating wildly. Her voice quivered as she continued. "I'm sorry. I know that it's wrong of me to take advantage of you like this. You don't have to respond. I just… I'm so _tired_ of standing by. I stood by while you fell in love with Raven, married her, and had a child with her. I was genuinely happy for you. And now that she's gone… I can't bear to see you like _this_."

Taking a breath, she released Tai. "I don't want to push you into anything you don't want. But… just know that I'm here, and I won't stand by anymore. I, and Qrow, will be here for you. But more than us… Yang needs you. She needs her father to be more present in her life. Qrow and I love her, but we can't replace you. So please… come back. And if you ever need support… Qrow and I will be the rocks you can lean on." She released him and let her hands fidget with her cloak. She blushed brightly and avoided looking at him.

Tai remained silent for a while, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke with measured words, his while his face remained thoughtful. "I'm grateful for that. And… you're right, I haven't been the best father lately. I just hope that you can understand..."

"I do.", said Summer. Tai smiled, as he continued. "Thanks. I needed that talk, and I'm glad that you were willing to give me a verbal slap when I needed it. But I'd like to ask… when you say that you'll be a rock I can lean on… how should I take that?"

"W-w-well…", stammered Summer. "I don't want to force you into anything, so let's stay as friends, for now. But… I won't deny that… if you want, and only if you want to… I wouldn't mind trying for something more."

Tai suppressed a laugh as he watched her fidget cutely. "Thank you. And, although it'll take a while... I'm willing to see where life will take us. But however it happens, I'm glad that you'll stay by me." And even if that line seemed too corny in hindsight, nothing could detract from his rising happiness. An idea struck him, and although he was hesitant, he wanted to try it.

Summer was equal parts jubilant that she had finally managed to say it and relieved that Tai had taken it as well as he did, glad that he didn't see her as taking advantage of his grief. Hopeful for the days to come, she allowed herself a small smile, but was careful to temper her happiness with a stern admonition: _"I'm here to help Tai. Everything else is secondary'._ She couldn't help but dream of what could happen in the future, even as her guilt drove her to suppress such thoughts

Deep in thought, she failed to notice Tai's hand reaching for hers until she felt his rough skin. Startled, she looked at him to see a gentle smile. "I'd like to begin with this, if you don't mind. Milady, would you care to accompany me back to the house?" The stilted tone which was so uncharacteristic of Tai caused Summer to double up in laughter, after which she uncurled himself and took the hand which he proffered. "Gladly, sir."

And so, both walked back to the house, unsure of what was to come, but looking forward to the future.

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Thanks for reading! Please tell me what you think of the story - I'm always looking to improve my writing. Have a good day.


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